In the Shadow of the Pevensies
by Wandering Elf 15
Summary: Caspian X has finally risen to the throne, though when the Pevensies depart, Narnia has a few surprises in store for him. Mysterious oppressors challenge his right to rule, and as he attempts to fulfill their wishes, betrayal strikes from every turn.


**For the record, Disney's film adaptation of Prince Caspian is one of the best fantasy movies EVER!**

**This is spanning the time between Prince Caspian and Dawn Treader, however it doesn't mention the ship at all. Anyway, I don't own any characters made by C.S. Lewis. Enjoy!**

_In the Shadow of the Pevensies_

_Chapter 1: Missive for the King_

The sun shone down upon the wind beaten gorge, where the trees had skirted the edges of the raw, opened earth. Pale, grim rocks were molded with the auburn soil, and they sometimes formed columns that were the result of centuries of erosion. The heat of the summer was young compared to what it would become, but that did not stop a silvery sheen of sweat from coating the limbs of two of Narnia's greatest warriors.

Caspian stood poised over the ground with his hands on his knees, keeping his pearl gray sword firm in his grip at the same time. His cloth shirt lay on the ground beside him, where the midday heat had gotten the best of him and he relieved himself of it. Now he was only outfitted in brown, cloth pants and his mane of black hair. His breaths came in a heaving pattern, like the waves of the rambling ocean. He had visited their once, and it was a delightful-

No, he needed to concentrate. His opponent was skilled indeed, a friend named Jushan. His skin was more tanned than Caspian's, for he was a Telmarine who had grown up among the back-breaking work of farming. Caspian could not testify to this line of work, though he _was_ accomplished in the ways of the blade.

Suddenly, and ever so slightly, Jushan shifted his left foot back a fraction of an inch. Caspian pounced, yelling and brandishing his sword as a glorious feline of the forest would do.

He thrust towards Jushan's left side, but before his friend took the opportunity to parry, Caspian spun around and smacked his right side with the flat of his blade. His friend cried out, both in the delivered dose of pain and in the squandering he felt that his setup had failed. It was not hard for Caspian, with the proper placement of thinking, to notice how he would attempt to spin around, attacking Caspian's left side while he was busy recovering from the first strike.

Nevertheless, Caspian shoved his friend to the ground, not as hard as he could have done, and held his sword's tip level with Jushan's throat.

He grinned, and his friend followed suit. "Dead," he whispered.

"Not quite, my old friend."

Jushan rolled to the side, holding his sword arm above his head so to avoid slicing open his side. Caspian lunged as Jushan continued to escape, but he was a few seconds too slow. His sword stabbed the dirt, and he jerked it out of the ground just in time to defend himself. Jushan charged him now, with dirt smearing the sweat on his torso, making for a very odd pairing. He slashed upward, bringing his sword down again to defend Caspian's returning lunge. He stepped forward, all the while swinging in large, broad swipes to keep Caspian at a distance at all times.

All of a sudden, Caspian locked the swords at their cross-guards, and held them close together. He wrestled with Jushan for control of both swords, knowing that he could very well end the fight if Jushan didn't-

His friend broke away, slashing for good measure, ensuring Caspian couldn't try the maneuver once more. Caspian spat to the side, resisting the urge to swear. Jushan was a great friend, but no bonds of friendship could waver his attention while sparring or fighting on the battlefield.

They fought again, banging blades and circling on the soil, keeping their eyes trained on either their bodies or their opponent's blade. They even paid no attention to the crowd of animals that had accumulated to watch brave King Caspian train in the art of swordsmanship, which saved Narnia on a battlefield once before. No, the two boys exchanged blows and parries and lunges with the other's sword, fighting in such a way that neither of them could advance, for they had both learned from the same sword master. They both searched for paths around the mechanisms of offense and defense for their teaching, though each boy had an equally sharp mind, and so alternate solutions were always overcome.

Caspian finally parried one blow sprang forward and screamed in Jushan's face. His friend, rattled by the noise, tripped and fell. As a result, his sword clattered on the rocky ground, and Caspian resumed his previous pose.

Jushan scoffed. "Please, Caspian, could you at least _try_ not to scuff the blade?"

The young king laughed, withdrawing and sheathing his sword, offering in return a hand to hoist his friend from the ground.

"You did well, Jushan."

"We had a good teacher, did we not?"

"True. Whatever happened to Sire Indijo? You knew him better than I did."

Indijo was always a curious man from the woods of Narnia. What really surprised Caspian was that he was human, unlike many of Narnia's inhabitants. If he had been Telmarine, the poor man would have never survived a month in the forest, living in the environment in which his enemies were strode about; perhaps he was from Archenland, or Calormen. The possibility of Telmarine lineage was unthinkable for Indijo, considering his superb ties with all sorts of races in Narnia. It was a shame that he had not revealed himself when Miraz and the Telmarine opposition were falling. No, he had shown up at the gates of Caspian's castle, begging for a room and complaining that he'd had enough of forest life. He simply wanted to know there were indeed other humans around him, and he was weeping with joy at the sight of the castle.

Indijo was accepted into the servants' quarters in the stronghold, where he managed to lead a civilized, and somewhat controlled life. However one day, a soldier made the mistake of teaching him the ways of the sword. Indijo, after a few months of training, hurried back into the forest with his blade, not leaving any clue to anyone if he would return. Caspian and Jushan had been sent to find him shortly afterwards, for they were the only ones who watched the eccentric man with interest. His personality, a shifting chunk of character, was exhibited in his swordsmanship, and they adored how it made the sword appear so much more lethal.

Found him they did, in a large ravine buried in the Shuddering Woods. There they fought him off, together, for the man had believed they were bounty hunters coming to drag him back to the castle.

Caspian later admitted to himself that the man did seem a bit senile. He had taken heart to a long white beard and a shaved head, also caring for a large assortment of sparrows that chirped when the wind whistled through the branches of budding cherry trees in springtime.

And then he had agreed to teach the two boys. They learned each other's strengths, each others weaknesses, and their prowess combined made for a spirit of pure power and determination, one that could overthrow the great lion himself.

"How am I to know? And we knew him as equals, did we not?"

"He preached to us the importance of individual relationships. After all, he would take us on separate ventures. Should I know what occurred between you two at those moments in time?"

"All that says to me is that we should monitor his allegiances to Narnia." Caspian chuckled, and then paid a glance at the gathering creatures at the edge of the gorge as he pulled his shirt over his chest.

"Greetings to you, fair citizens of the forest."

Many of the animals, such as the deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons, parted and the shadows shifted in the berth of the trees on the cliff of soil and rock. Caspian kept a steady gaze, though part of him felt skittish as to what might come from those shadows. Howbeit, he'd seen many horrendous things in his day.

As serenely as the sun skirts across the sky, as the wind caresses beds of sienna leaves in autumn, a graceful cougar, boasting a magnificent light brown coat and gleaming claws, leapt into the small gorge, inclining his head in respect to the king and his friend.

"I heard the king was in town."

"Ah… Flogin. **(flow-JEN)** Nice to see you again."

"As it is you. Of course, it is always a pleasure to meet with the king of Narnia." He averted his gaze to Jushan, who stood in mid-crouch. "I would be much alighted to know the name of his majesty's accompaniment."

"Jushan, defender of the Shuddering Woods."

"I see. And a fine young man I make you out to be, let me assure you." In truth, Flogin was veiling an amounting suspicion he felt. The young man seemed on edge, as though he had been hiding something from everyone but a select few. It might have been because of the aftermath of the slight war movement to ensure Caspian's rise to the throne, but Flogin wasn't-

"Is there a reason you traveled to meet us here today, Flogin?"

The feline gazed at Caspian before prancing over the rocks, his claws clicking against their hard surface. "Is there anything wrong with merely desiring to share pleasant company with another person?"

"No, there isn't."

"Well, walk with me, King Caspian. We have something to speak about. Jushan is welcome, as the whole of Narnia will care to hear eventually."

Now Caspian's throat felt dry. He knew there had been a reason the predator had showed up here, and not merely for the sake of pleasantries. He swallowed, mustering the courage t shun terrifying possibilities he conjured due to anxiety, and asked, "Such as what, may I ask?"

"Walk with me, and I shall explain." The feline did not give them a chance to refuse his offer either, for he began to slink off through the rocky aisle in the forest. Caspian paid a nervous glance in Jushan's direction, and then gave one to the procession of animals on the small cliff.

"I'm sure there no need for you to linger. I can take whatever he has in store."

They all murmured in agreement, and one by one, retired into the confines of the woods. Jushan approached his side and placed a steady hand on the king's shoulder.

"Let's hope he has come to say something of good fortune."

**So… how was that? I'm not sure how I'm going to go through the rest of the story, but I hope I can just lay down the plot in an acceptable way and pull through.**

**Review please!**


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